Boxing: Wardley Could Defend WBO Heavyweight Title Against Joshua Next Year

Fabio Wardley Could defend his new WBO world title against Anthony Joshua in his next fight.Wardley was upgraded to full WBO world heavyweight champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.

He will have the option of making a voluntary defence of his championship before he has to face a mandatory challenger.

Former champion Anthony Joshua is currently ranked No 10 with the WBO and so would be eligible to take on Wardley. That fight could happen next year, if Joshua doesn’t secure his long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury.

An unexpected bout, scheduled optimistically for eight rounds, against Jake Paul is set for December 19. Joshua will then set his sights back on a path to Tyson Fury, which should align with Saudi Arabia’s continuing ambitions to invest in major boxing events.

Joshua is likely to box in February in Riyadh before pursuing a contest with Fury later in 2026.

Jake Paul was a sudden opportunity that arose when Joshua was originally going to take a surprise eight-rounder in November. But AJ still has further ambition.

“This isn’t where we’re going now, this is just an opportunity we couldn’t say no to,” Hearn said.

“But 2026 normal business shall be resumed and normal business is to try to become a three-time heavyweight world champion, or to beat Tyson Fury. That’s really the aim for 2026.”